Borderline

It's been very sad to watch the dissolution of Borders.  I still remember it as that wonderful bookstore on State Street when I went to college in Ann Arbor.  And even though it became a less personal store when it grew into a nationwide franchise, it still had a wide selection and was a great place to hang out.  In fact, before the days of Borders and a bigger Barnes and Noble, a lot of bookstores were pretty crummy.

But bookstores, big and small, are on the way out in our Amazon/Kindle world, and every Borders in LA I know of is closing.  They've been selling all their merchandise and the stores looks like war zones.  Whole sections are empty and cordoned off, bookshelves themselves on sale, and what's left is haphazard.

At least I was able to pick up some deals, but it's bittersweet.  The oddest thing is even with a complete close-out, you need to comparison shop.  The Borders in Century City had a 40%-50% off sale, while the one in Glendale (on Brand but outside the newly built Americana--maybe the kiss of death anyway these days) was 60%-70% off.  Oddest of all, up the block on Sunset and Vine, the Borders advertised 20%-40% off--I can do better on Amazon.  Just who do you think you are?

Not unlike the changes in collecting, the way of the bookstore and record store are just about over.  I guess this'll mean those coffee houses are gonna get real crowded.